By JOHN SAKALA
Organic farmers are imploring the Zambian government to seriously look at integrating Organic Agriculture and sustainable farming systems into the overall agricultural diversification agenda.
Intercontinental Network of Organic Farmers Organisations (INOFO) Continental Secretary Charles Mubanga said the current climate change challenges must make government look elsewhere for solutions.
Speaking in an interview with The Independent Observer from South Korea, Mr Mubanga said climate change challenges resulting in floods and droughts in different parts of the country makes it even more urgent for the government to come up with a comprehensive Organic Agricultural Policy.
He said sustainable ecological organic agricultural production should be supported by the government in terms of policy for the benefit of both farmers and consumers who need healthy food.
“The Zambian government should learn from some Asian countries, particularly, South Korea, which have declared some counties as exclusively organic production hubs.
“In Asia, most countries have now adopted organic agriculture as a farming system that is helping to raise their standard of living while providing health and safe food for their citizens. By comparison, Zambia is endowed with far more superior natural resource base compared to most of these countries in the Asian subcontinent and therefore, better positioned to benefit from this initiative,” he said.
Mr Mubanga is a Ndola based organic farmer who regularly transverse the global learning new frontiers in organic farming.
